35,000 Savannahians live more than a mile from a grocery store. In Chatham County, 17.6% of all residents are food insecure and 21.8% of children are food insecure.

“Food insecurity is real in Savannah and Chatham County and that’s why we need a more robust food policy council that is trusted by, connected to, and empowered by community residents,” said Paula Kreissler," executive director of Healthy Savannah.
To that end, Healthy Savannah, together with partner and community organizations throughout Savannah and Chatham County, is asking for community input in helping redesign the Savannah-Chatham Food Policy Council.

A series of three listening sessions have been scheduled to gather that input. These events are free and open to the public:

Tuesday, August 16, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Carver Village Community Center, 909 Collat St., Savannah, GA 31405
Tuesday, August 23, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Windsor Forest Community Center, 404 Briarcliff Cir., Savannah, GA 31419
Tuesday, August 30, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at W. W. Law Community Center, 900 E. Bolton St., Savannah, GA 31401

“Our goal is for the Food Policy Council to become more of a community-led group that is more equitable, effective and inclusive,” said Armand Turner, physical activity program manager. “It needs to become more of a local and regional food system that provides improved access to a variety of affordable, nourishing foods. It should serve across sectors and be capable of advancing meaningful policy change and accomplishing major improvements in our local food system.”

This project is funded by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant, administered by Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, which uses a collective impact framework to improve health equity.

“The accessibility and affordability of healthy food disproportionately impact certain communities, and change is urgently needed to forge a path towards health equity,” said Muchaneta “Mati” Chikawa, nutrition manager. “That’s why we need to address policies and systemic structures that continue to limit accessibility to healthy food options for individuals in low-wealth communities, which is directly linked to poor health outcomes.”

To date, Healthy Savannah has interviewed diverse business owners, farmers, and food businesses, along with numerous academic, organizational, municipal (county and city), and community leaders to provide input to the process.

“We have aligned with and included related initiatives including the REAL Savannah Task Force, Step Up Savannah, the CGIC Health Team, and the Faith and Health Coalition,” said Chikawa. “Our goal is to ensure we move forward, not duplicate efforts, and build on the known community needs already reflected in these reports and initiatives.”

In June, 20 of the project’s key stakeholders gathered to discuss the next steps. Participants included representatives of Healthy Savannah, City of Savannah, Chatham County, Department of Health, Savannah Chatham Public School System, Savannah State University, University of Georgia, and community associations.

The stakeholders determined that the process must include community input, setting in motion the listening sessions now planned for the last three Tuesdays in August. They also agreed that the redesigned Council should be anchored within an existing nonprofit organization with leadership that can provide adequate focus and dedicated time to ensuring the council is improving health equity by engaging with community partners along with related agriculture, academic and governmental entities.

For more information about the listening sessions or the initiative, please contact Paula Kreissler at [email protected] or Armand Turner at [email protected].